We are thrilled to announce the new IBM® Rhapsody® Systems Engineering (Rhapsody SE), a web-based solution for systems engineering teams. This solution empowers them to deliver smarter, more complex and more competitive solutions to their end users, while turning increasing design complexities into a competitive advantage.

The inherent nature of systems, whether at the initial design phase or during subsequent upgrades, is characterized by a rapid accumulation of new capabilities outpacing the removal of obsolete ones. This process inevitably leads to an escalation in complexity over time. As systems grow more intricate, they become increasingly challenging to comprehend, leading to heightened unpredictability. As a result, new behaviors emerge, often accompanied by unintended and potentially catastrophic side effects.

However, this complexity is not without its merits. By adeptly harnessing and managing the intricacies of complex systems, organizations can develop smarter products, offer unique and differentiated solutions, and therefore improve their competitive edge in their respective market.

IBM Rhapsody Systems Engineering is based on several key technologies that allow customers to use the benefits of complexity while mitigating its associated risks. These technologies include the emerging SysML v2 systems engineering modeling language standard, modern web technologies, and integration with digital threads and other engineering domains.

Web-based solution, from the ground up 

IBM Rhapsody Systems Engineering offers modern and intuitive user experiences and workflows for everyone in the systems engineering teams. This comprehensive support includes systems engineering practitioners and reviewers, domain architects, compliance and security officers, design partners and suppliers. A web browser and a URL are all you need to access the tool. Administrators benefit from it, too, because the product is delivered as containers, easing the speed and simplicity of installation and product configuration.

Built to support SysML v2

IBM Rhapsody Systems Engineering supports the new SysML v2 standard, helping practitioners design complex systems graphically, with dedicated graphic editors, customizable browsers and a rich, configurable set of completeness and correctness checks.

To provide a consistent experience and modeling guidelines within and across projects in an organization, tools and methods experts can customize the tool to support the specific processes and workflows needed. This customization includes user-defined extensions (via JavaScript or Python, for example) that use the various APIs that are provided with IBM Rhapsody Systems Engineering, extending well beyond the APIs defined by the SysML v2 standard.

Part of the IBM® Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) solution

IBM Rhapsody Systems Engineering integrates with the open, federated and versioned digital thread of IBM ELM for engineering artifacts, which includes support for global configurations. It integrates with other downstream engineering domains, such as software design with production code generation, through Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) or other APIs.

It also connects with the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio for Electrical/Electronic (E/E), Hardware (H/W) and mechanical design. This integration allows customers to manage cross-domain digital threads, bridging the gap between systems engineering and downstream design domains.

As a new product in the IBM ELM portfolio, Rhapsody SE is complementary to Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody®, now available in recently announced version 10.0.1. Both solutions can coexist in an organization, as they address different user requirements and goals, offering the systems engineers two options for their engineering work. 

With Rhapsody 10.0.1 and Rhapsody SE, teams can choose to use SysML v1, SysML v2 or even both, depending on their specific needs and design architecture, regardless of the supporting tool. There are differences between the two, and the decision of which to use should take various factors into consideration.

For instance, Rhapsody 10.0.1 allows engineering teams to model systems by using SysML v1 and then transition to software design by using Unified Modeling Language (UML), classic or adaptive AUTOSAR, model-based testing and automated production code generation. This compatibility between SysML v1 and UML reflects the fact that SysML v1 uses UML under-the-hood, and that SysML v1 is much more mature than the new SysML v2.

Learn more about Rhapsody Systems Engineering today

IBM Rhapsody Systems Engineering offers modern web-based user experiences and workflows, and support for the latest model-based systems engineering languages. By integrating with other engineering domains and digital threads, it empowers systems engineering teams to improve their competitiveness while managing the risks associated with designing complex systems and systems of systems.

Rhapsody helps teams “guide and orchestrate the overall technical effort—including hardware, software, test and specialty engineering—to ensure the solution satisfies stakeholder needs and expectations,” as outlined by INCOSE in their 2035 vision document.

We invite you to find out more about the many other capabilities of Rhapsody Systems Engineering by exploring on your own and speaking with our team.